Reply to Have you ever worked in a hostile work environment?

Forum Index » Jobs and Careers

Reply to "Have you ever worked in a hostile work environment? "

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]Yes. Small company, "we're a family here" ethos which I learned is just a way of covering up workplace abuse. Sexually harassed/assaulted by a boss early on, but no HR or even a process for reporting. Later I became the subject of vicious (and untrue) gossip that got passed around both at work and at the many social events outside of work. Most of the management team had inappropriate relationships with members of the rank and file (including affairs and at least two members of management who were in open relationships that involved multiple members of the staff including people who reported directly to them), so if one person in management didn't like you, they could infect a huge portion of the company via these relationships, and vice versa.

I still don't really know what I did to get on their bad side early on. Maybe having boundaries at work, or having a social life outside of the company? I think these things were viewed as liabilities.

I was there for four years and did try to report it on my way out but of course it fell on deaf ears. I contemplated suing them but what would this get me, really? I didn't want my job back, they weren't a company with a ton of money. Even assuming I could win (a big assumption since I have no doubt that they would closed ranks against me and happily lied about me to discredit me, plus I would have needed the participation of multiple people to corroborate my experience and I really don't think I could have gotten that), at most I'd get a small settlement minus my attorney's fees. And in the process I'd be raked over the coals by people with no scruples or allegiance to me. No thank you.

My advice to anyone in this situation now is (1) document everything, (2) get out as quickly as you can, (3) if they give you trouble on your way out, retain a lawyer to scare them off so they can't do anything to you on your way out. And then just try to forget about them. I stayed too long, put up with too much, assumed it would get better, and it just got worse and worse.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics